


Drinking Buddies

by bugisgay



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Just two cuties, M/M, Mindless Fluff, TW//drinking, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:55:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugisgay/pseuds/bugisgay
Summary: Ethan and Mark steal some of Ethan's father's beer and share secrets.
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 80





	Drinking Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> I am Yearning, so I am living vicariously through these characters.
> 
> I do not ship Mark and Ethan, be respectful, don't be weird.

The young men giggle as they smuggle two twelve ounce beer bottles out of the special fridge in Ethan’s father’s basement. They rush quickly upstairs into Ethan’s room, nearly tripping up the stairs from how quickly they move, and the shorter man shuts the door tightly behind them and locking it.

As their giggles falter, they both take a seat on the floor next to the smaller man’s bed, and they watch each other excitedly.

“I can’t believe we did this,” Ethan says softly with an excited giggle, his hands trembling a little as his fingers wrap around the bottle. “God… I feel so alive, Mark!”

Mark giggles as well, his grip tightening on the beer bottle, and his gaze turns down to the bottle. “So… How do we open it?”

The smaller man hesitates a little, and he looks down at his own bottle, inspecting the cap. “Ma… Maybe we twist the cap off? Like those soda bottles?”

He gently twists the cap off, and he lets out a surprised gasp. “Oh, shit, it worked!” He turns to his friend with excited eyes, watching the other man twist off the cap. “Okay… You ready?”

“Definitely.”

In a messy synchronization, they each take a sip of the beer. Ethan flinches softly at the taste, and he turns to his friend to see that the other man is handling it better than him.

“That tastes fucking disgusting,” He says firmly, his eyebrows furrowed.

“I dunno,” Mark responds with a weak shrug, “I think it tastes good.”

They relax against Ethan’s bed, taking sips of the beer, and the younger of the two lets out a small sigh as his head begins to buzz.

“Can you believe we're going to college this fall?” He inquires softly, his pointer finger brushing over the wet opening as he stares off at his TV setup not too far away from them with messy wires of controllers at their feet. “Feels like just yesterday we started high school… And now we're graduating and going off to college fuck-knows where.”

“I actually know where I'm going,” Mark responds, earning a glance from his friend. “I'm going to engineering school.”

“‘Engineering school’?” Ethan echoes sounding confused. “I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff, Mark.”

His friend takes a sip of the beer, and a smile twitches onto his lips as he swallows. “Yeah… I don't talk about it much, but I've always found engineers fascinating.”

“Is it like your fascination with space?” The younger man’s words are muffled by the beer bottle, but they are still clear.

With a soft chuckle, his friend nods his head and takes another sip. “Just like it.”

They fall silent, and Ethan’s bottle becomes empty before his friend’s. He twists the cap back onto it and sets it on his left side on its base, though it tips over from clumsy fingers. He swears softly to himself, attempting to pick it up, but it continues to fall over. He lets out a forced sigh and shoves the bottle away hearing it  _ clink! _ against the wall without moving his gaze from the floor.

“How have things with you and Mika been going?” Mark asks suddenly, and the other man lets out a nervous laugh turning to face his friend.

“We, uh, broke up a couple days ago.”

The taller of the two frowns, and his eyebrows furrow just a pinch. “Why did you guys break up? You two looked so happy together!”

Ethan shrugs gently, dropping his gaze down to his lap where his fingers begin to fidget with the hem of his pants. “We’re better off as friends, we realized.”

“Nothing wrong with being close friends,” His friend responds gently, giving him a gentle nudge. A small smile twitches onto the other man’s lips, and he gently nudges his friend back.

“Nothing wrong with that.”

They fall silent again, and the smaller man’s smile falls into his resting face. His head starts to get a little foggy as time goes on, and he slowly begins to still the movements of his hands becoming more calm.

“Was she a good kisser?” Mark inquires, earning a confused glance from his friend.

“Huh?” The smaller of the two inquires with a nervous laugh. “What-what are you asking?”

Their eyes meet again, and the taller of the two has a steady look on his features. “Was Mika a good kisser?”

Heat rushes to Ethan’s face, and he ducks his head to look in the other direction. “Um… I can’t answer that.”

“Why not..?” His friend has genuine confusion clear in his tone. “You guys dated for, what, a year? You obviously kissed at some point.” He pauses for a moment. “Or… Is this more of a mutual agreement thing? Like she said that she didn’t want you talking about your intimate moments with your friends?”

“Just-” The smaller of the two lets out a soft, frustrated noise and clenches his fists tightly. “I… I can't answer that.”

There is a small sigh from his friend, and Ethan pulls his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly.

“Sorry,” His friend says softly, catching Ethan’s attention. His eyes are soft, and he points at the other man with the mouth of the beer bottle. “That was inappropriate, and I shouldn’t have pressed.”

“No…” The smaller of the two sighs, putting his head in his hands and sliding his legs down. “It… It’s my fault. I’m just… Embarrassed.”

“What are you embarrassed about?” His friend inquires softly, his voice gentle and caring. “You can tell me anything, you know that?”

A small sigh escapes the smaller man, and he lets go of his legs allowing them to stretch out into a small V. His feet tilt outwards, and he relaxes against the edge of his bed, his fingertips buzzing. “I know,” He responds in a small voice, “but I'm… Worried that you'll judge me.”

“Ethan,” Mark begins in a firm voice and earning a glance from his friend, “we have known each other for ten years. You have seen me at my worst when my dad died, and at my best.” He gently rests his hand onto his friend’s shoulder, and a warm smile spreads over his lips. “There isn't anything you can tell me that I would judge you for… You know, within reason.”

A small smile twitches onto Ethan’s lips, and he rolls his head over to rest it on top of his friend’s hand, his eyelids fluttering shut. “Thank you, Mark,” He whispers softly. He lets out a shuddery breath and continues on with, “You know, it's not even  _ that _ bad. It's… Not like my life will get ruined if I tell you, but…” He shrugs. “I dunno. Just… I dunno.”

The taller of the two gives his friend’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, and Ethan’s eyes open to look the other man iin the eye.

“It's okay,” Mark says softly. “You don't have to tell me anything, okay?”

The smaller man hums, acknowledging his friend, and rolls his head over to look at the ceiling, eyes flickering as he thinks about what to say next.

As they are silent, the smaller man focuses on his breathing to get his mind off of his friend’s question about his former flame, though it doesn't do much.

Part of him hopes that as the fuzz in his head grows, he stops thinking too much, but he seems to be thinking more and more about this one thing.

“You okay?” Mark inquires, sounding amused. 

Ethan’s head snaps over to his friend, and he blinks a couple times. “Wh-what?”

Amusement is clear on his friend’s features, and he takes a sip from his beer bottle that is only half empty. “You haven't blinked in awhile.”

“Ah,” The smaller of the two says without really thinking, gently rubbing his eyes with the backs of his knuckles as a fuzzy burning starts to settle in, “that's probably why my eyes kind of hurt.”

They giggle softly together, and the smaller man blinks a couple times to get rid of the blur in his eyesight.

His eyes land on his friend as they settle down, and they soften a little as Mark comes into focus. “I never kissed Mika,” He says softly, cupping his hands together.

Mark’s eyebrows fly up, and surprise is apparent on his features. “Wait,” He starts with a nervous chuckle, “not-not even once?” He holds up his pointer finger. When Ethan shakes his head, his friend’s eyebrows furrow a little. “Um… Okay. Well…” His eyes shift a little, and he turns to stare at his friend’s TV. “I… Don’t understand, really, how that is possible, but… Okay.”

“It just never felt like the right moment,” Ethan responds quietly, watching his friend carefully. “And…” He turns away to look at his lap where his fingers are hooked together. “It would have been my first kiss…” His voice is quieter at the last statement, and dull nerves become static in his lower stomach.

The silence hangs heavy over his head, and he swallows thickly, opening his mouth to say that he's just kidding-- that he has kissed  _ plenty _ of girls and just hopes Mark doesn't ask for names, but he's cut off by a small humming noise. He turns to his friend, and the other man seems to be thoughtfully staring at the TV, eyes flicking back and forth.

His friend’s eyes shift to look at him, then his head follows, and they watch each other for a moment. “That's okay,” He says softly, gently patting Ethan’s knee and giving it a reassuring shake, not breaking eye contact. “Kissing isn't important, you know? You don't have to do it right now if it's not what you want.”

The smaller of the two ducks his head and turns away from his friend as the hand is removed from his knee. “Thank you,” He whispers, staring blankly at his lap.

After a small lull in the conversation, Ethan speaks up again; “The only, um… Reason why I didn't kiss her, I think, is because I was scared I would be a bad kisser.”

“Why do you think that?” His friend’s voice is curious, yet warm.

The smaller of the two turns to look at his friend, and a sheepish smile spreads over his lips. “Well, I haven't exactly practiced kissing before…”

“Neither did I,” Mark responds a little amused. “You figure it out the more you do it with a real person, you know? Because that way you get notes in real time, right?”

A nervous titter leaves the smaller man’s lips, and he rests one of his hands onto the floor next to his bed. “R… Right.”

His friend gently twists the cap back onto the beer bottle, and he sets it on the other side of himself, away from Ethan, and he twists his body to fully face his friend with a smile.

“Wh-what?” Ethan inquires as his friend watches him with inviting eyes. He can't help the smile that spreads over his lips.

“I'm going to teach you how to kiss,” Mark responds firmly. His friend wheezes softly, cheeks flushing, and he turns his head to cough into his fist.

As his coughing fit calms down, he turns back to his friend with wide and confused eyes. “You-you’re going to  _ what _ ?”

The other man grins, crossing his arms over his chest, and he repeats firmly, “I'm going to teach you how to kiss.”

Stunned, the smaller man blinks slowly at his friend, and, slowly, he starts to laugh out of disbelief. “You're… You're fucking with me, right?”

His friend shakes his head, an amused glint in his eyes. “I'm not.”

With a shaky laugh, he shakes his head a little, glancing away from his friend. “No… You're fucking with me.”

His eyes widen a little when his friend gently cups his chin and carefully twists his head to look at the other man. “I'm not fucking with you,” Mark responds in his serious voice. Ethan gulps softly, and he flicks his eyes away when his friend continues with, “I want to help you feel more confident with your abilities, and, if you want, this doesn't have to count towards your first kiss. You can choose your first for yourself, okay? It doesn't have to be the  _ very  _ first, okay?”

A little blindsided, the smaller of the two lets out a nervous titter and glances back at his friend’s expecting eyes. The fuzziness in his head tightens up a little, and his mouth opens to say something, but nothing comes out. Just a pathetic throat noise, signalling air is coming out, but no words.

He closes his mouth and starts to twist his head away. The other man lets go of Ethan’s chin, and he whispers, “If you don't want to, just please tell me. Okay? I can see you're… In shock. So, um… If that overstepped any boundaries, can you please let me know?”

Ethan presses his lips in a thin line, furrowing his eyebrows a little, and he turns back to his friend quickly rushing out, “I want to, but I don't know if it's because I’m tipsy or not!”

Mark’s eyes widen a little at his friend’s outburst, but they soften, and a gentle smile forms on his lips; his hand carefully cups the other man’s cheek, letting out a small chuckle when his friend leans into the touch, and he whispers, “It doesn't matter, right? We're both tipsy, and it wouldn't be too weird, right? We've been best friends for ten years, so we were… Bound to kiss at some point right?”

The smaller man laughs softly, eyes squinting. “That's usually the case with a man and woman, though,” He responds between giggles. “Guy friends don't usually kiss, do they?”

His friend shrugs a little, grinning. “I think it happens more than people let on.”

They fall silent, and the taller of the two gently brushes his thumb over his friend’s cheek with caring eyes. “You want me to teach you, right?” He receives a nod, and he nods in return. “Okay. C’mere, then.” His tone is a little teasing, and he pulls Ethan closer making their knees touch.

His friend giggles softly as he's pulled, but he quickly falls silent when he realizes how close they are. His heartbeat remains steady-- maybe a little slower from the alcohol, and his stomach starts to buzz dully with drunken butterflies flying lazily in his stomach.

For a moment, he doesn't realize Mark is speaking until he snaps out of his trance; “-kiss, just put your hands wherever they go naturally, okay?”

“O-okay,” He responds a little awkwardly, not fully sure of what was said, but he decides that he'll figure it out later.

His friend’s eyes flutter shut, and he starts to lean forward. For the first time since they stole his dad’s beer, his heart starts to hammer in his chest, though his head begins to cloud even more than usual. His eyes flutter shut as well, and their lips press together softly.

One of his hands lifts to gently grab his friend’s arm, the one holding his head, and he melts into the kiss feeling his stomach do flips.

When they pull apart, his eyes don't open for a couple seconds. When they do, they nervously peer into his friend’s, relaxing a little when he sees they are still soft and welcoming.

“That was good,” Mark tells him gently, brushing his thumb over Ethan’s cheek. “Now I'm going to show you how to lead a kiss, okay? Just follow my lead once, then you lead, okay?”

Without saying a word, the smaller man nods and tightens his grip on his friend’s arm, his breathing a little staggard.

As his friend leans in, Ethan leans in as well, and he kisses Mark back immediately. Their lips gently move against each other, and the smaller man loosens his grip on his friend’s arm as he relaxes into their kiss.

After a few moments, the smaller of the two carefully cups his friend’s face with his hand that was gripping Mark’s arm, and Mark’s hands move down to Ethan’s hips as the smaller man takes control of the kiss.

The taller man pulls away first, and his friend quickly leans back in for another kiss, but he pulls back just before their lips touch letting out a shaky breath and resting their foreheads together.

“You're better than I thought you were,” The taller man teases, earning a soft scoff from the smaller man and a grin.

“Shut up,” His friend responds, though there is no heat behind it.

As they fully pull apart, Ethan licks his lips and clears his throat softly, intertwining his fingers in his laps, and a stupid smile spreads over his lips.

“Someone’s happy,” Mark teases, earning a gentle shove from the smaller man, them both laughing.

“Oh, shut up,” The other man says behind giggles. “What do you say, though? Do I need more lessons?” His last sentence is more teasing, and he gently pokes his friend’s chest.

His friend pretends to think for a moment, stroking his chin with a big grin on his face as he looks up. “Well, now that you've mentioned it,” He teases, glancing back at Ethan, “I think you definitely need to practice at least three times a week.”

The smaller man chuckles softly and turns back to stare at his off TV. “Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
